dots-menu
×

Home  »  The Oxford Book of English Verse  »  876. Non Nobis

Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.

Henry Cust. 1861–1917

876. Non Nobis

NOT unto us, O Lord, 
Not unto us the rapture of the day, 
The peace of night, or love’s divine surprise, 
High heart, high speech, high deeds ‘mid honouring eyes; 
For at Thy word         5
All these are taken away. 
 
Not unto us, O Lord: 
To us thou givest the scorn, the scourge, the scar, 
The ache of life, the loneliness of death, 
The insufferable sufficiency of breath;  10
And with Thy sword 
Thou piercest very far. 
 
Not unto us, O Lord: 
Nay, Lord, but unto her be all things given— 
My light and life and earth and sky be blasted—  15
But let not all that wealth of loss be wasted: 
Let Hell afford 
The pavement of her Heaven!